Kuala Lumpur: Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau (pic) called on the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) to clarify how Sabah’s industrial development needs were taken into account during the planning of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030).
During an oral question session in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, he asked the ministry to outline NIMP 2030 mission-based projects specifically benefiting Sabah, their allocations, realised investments, employment opportunities and salaries for Sabahans, technology transfers, as well as the timeline for developing POIC Lahad Datu into a national downstream bio-industrial hub.
In its reply, MITI said the Government was committed to ensuring that all states, including Sabah, benefited from NIMP 2030 through its four missions, 21 strategies and 62 action plans.
“Mission-based Projects (MBPs) are not exclusive to any particular state but are open to all states based on their respective economic strengths and natural resources.
“For example, a manufacturing company at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) has participated in the Smart Tech-Up Programme under the Smart Factory Transformation initiative, which aims to develop 3,000 smart factories by 2030.
“In terms of financing, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mid-tier companies in Sabah can benefit from the NIMP 2030 Strategic Co-Investment Fund (NIMP CoSIF) through Equity Crowdfunding (ECF) and Peer-to-Peer Financing (P2P) platforms, subject to the stipulated criteria,” the ministry said.
For the period between January 2023 and June 2026, MITI said Sabah recorded RM39.2 billion in approved investments involving 475 projects, accounting for 2.9 per cent of the total approved investments nationwide.
“Of the total, 59 projects were in the manufacturing sector, with 40 projects, or 66.8 per cent, realised in three main industrial parks – KKIP, Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP) and POIC Lahad Datu.
“The approved investments are expected to generate 6,646 new job opportunities in Sabah, while the state’s median monthly employee salary increased by 11 per cent to RM2,482 in 2025, compared with RM2,236 in 2024,” MITI added.
In the same reply, the ministry recognised POIC Lahad Datu as a strategic location for developing downstream palm oil, oleochemical, biochemical, biofuel and biomass-based industries.
In a follow-up statement, Madius said the explanation had yet to provide sufficient details on how Sabah’s specific potential and needs had been translated into NIMP 2030’s planning.
“Tuaran is not necessarily asking for programmes exclusive to Sabah. Tuaran is asking for evidence that Sabah’s actual circumstances have been taken into account in determining the projects, support and targets under NIMP 2030,” he said.
Madius, who is also POIC Sabah chairman, urged MITI to provide a written explanation on Sabah’s position under NIMP 2030, including its implementation plans, financing, responsible agencies, measures to address infrastructure constraints and the status of the proposal to establish POIC Lahad Datu as a national downstream bio-industrial hub.
“Sabahans have the right to know the industrial development plans for the state, the parties responsible for implementing them and when the benefits can be realised.
“In this regard, I am not concluding that Sabah has been sidelined, but the ministry’s reply has yet to clearly demonstrate how the state’s industrial development is being planned under NIMP 2030,” he said.
